Detroit mayoral candidates participate in first forum of 2025 election
For the first time since the filing deadline, all the major candidates for the 2025 Detroit mayoral election appeared together at a forum Saturday afternoon.
A room inside the Riverside Marina clubhouse was full of voters, including the undecided.
"I want to find out their qualifications, what their concerns are, and how they apply to me and my community," said Caryl Conway, an undecided voter.
Career politicians, an entrepreneur, a former police chief and a businessman are among the top candidates running for Detroit mayor.
"We all have different things that we want, and I just want to know who they are here to serve," said undecided voter Charity Whitaker.
Affordable housing was the number one priority voters wanted to hear about from the candidates on Saturday.
"I would say affordable housing. We have so many people that are homeless, and they require housing for more than just a one- or two-bedroom unit," Conway said.
Saturday's forum was organized by the African American Leadership Institute.
"We're still the Blackest city in America, and so to have a Black mayor again running the Blackest city in America, I think, will speak volumes when it comes to a whole lot of different leaders, as well as African American communities throughout the country," said Al Williams, president of the African American Leadership Institute.
"African American women are the ones who do the work. They knock on the doors, they make the calls, and they go to the voting booth and vote. We are the 92%," said Tashawna Gill, Michigan director for Supermajority, a group that empowers women across the country.
Supermajority says Black women will be the deciding factor in the race for Detroit's next mayor.
"We will. When we speak, they listen, and we've got to make our voices heard," Conway said.
The primary election is set for Aug. 5, with the general election scheduled for Nov. 4.
